Legend of the Grey Ghost
by mon-ra
Summary: Set five years after the events of Danny Paladin. Danny Fenton aka Ghost continues to hunt for the wizard Vlad Masters and soon discovers a conspiracy that threatens all he knows and loves dear! AU set in medieval times. All the ghosts will be portrayed as wizards in this story.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM**

Late one evening in a small remote village, a traveler made his way towards the Salty Spittoon Inn and Tavern. A favorite hangout for local thugs, lowlifes, and bounty hunters. Inside the dregs of society were either getting drunk, hitting on women, or fighting in brawls. In other words, business as usual. Just then all the rucks ceased for a second as this stranger entered the premise. He was a young man probably in his early twenties, his clothes were worn out and dirty with a medium sized travel bag, but his most distinguishable feature was this large over-sized sword strapped to his back. Ignoring the fact that practically everyone there was marking him, he sat himself at the bar.

"So what can I get for you stranger?' the inn keeper asked as he spat into a glass and wiping it down.

"Water please, and in a clean glass," the man requested placing two copper coins on the table.

"That's an odd request," the inn keeper noted, placing the glass that he was 'cleaning' on the table and filling it with dirty water. "Any thing else?"

"Yes, do you have a vacancy? I need a room for the night." the man asked pushing the glass of water away.

"I do, but it's gonna cost you 50 copper pieces per night." the inn keeper told him.

"50," the man sighed sadly looking at a near empty money bag. "Listen I don't have much money now but I give you my word that I will be able to pay." the man begged. Before the inn master could respond three men approached the stranger from behind.

"Oh you poor pathetic traveler short on cash. How about you sell us that fancy sword of yours for 50 copper." the one in the middle threatened licking his lips.

"Sorry, this sword is important to me, but thanks for the offer." the man said calmly.

"Why you insolent! Do you know who I am? I'm Big Bubba!" the middle thug identified himself. The other patrons began backing away, knowing what's coming.

"Nice to meet you," the man said sounding unimpressed. "Question, do you have a bounty on your head?"

"Indeed, I have a 300 gold coin bounty dead or alive!" Big Bubba boasted directing everyone's attention to the wanted posters on the wall. 300 gold bounty is an impressive amount, but too low for him to be a wizard. Most likely Big Bubba is a gang leader that's been terrorizing the area.

"Inn keeper, it looks like I will be getting that money sooner than I expected," the man grinned.

"YOU DARE MOCK ME!" Big Bubba screamed drawing out his sword. Just then, faster than the eye can follow, the stranger grabbed a nearby fork and flung it at Big Bubba, hitting him square in the throat! The tavern was silent as Big Bubba dropped down dead, impaled by a simple fork. Seeing their leader downed so quickly and easily, the other two ran out of there as fast as they could. A second later everyone went back to their regular business.

"I would like a plate of your beef stew and a room for the night. You can use his bounty as payment." the man suggested. The inn keeper shrugged as he prepared a plate. After all these sort of deaths are rather common in his establishment, but this is the first time anyone paid with a dead body. As the man waited for his meal, two other guys approached him.

"Excuse me, but I believe you owe us an apology!" one of them demanded.

"Excuse me?" the man asked in confusion.

"Big Bubba!" the other screamed. He was our bounty and you stole him!"

"I see," the man said calmly. Judging by their outfits, these two men were low level bounty hunter. They never go after wizards and focus mainly on criminals. Doubtful they ever gone after anyone who's bounty is over 100 gold pieces. "Well if you want, you can claim his bounty. All I ask that you pay for my room and dinner." the man offered. The bounty hunters took time to consider it. The room and meal would total about 55 coppers. A mere pocket change for a 300 gold bounty. A reasonable trade, but for some reason, it irritated the bounty hunters.

"You insult us sir!" The bounty hunters reached for their weapons, when a small bag filled with coins landed on the bar.

"Please allow me to resolve this situation and pay for this gentleman's meal," a mysterious voice offered. They all turned to see a tall muscular man with an eye patch. "Long time no see Ghost."

"Bullet!" the man sneered. "And the name's Danny!"

"Bullet," the bounty hunters gulped. "As in one of the Sanctuary's top enforcers and Walker's right hand man!"

"Never mind that, didn't you hear him! He called him Ghost!" the other bounty hunter cringed.

"Ghost? As in the Grey Ghost! And we almost picked a fight with him!" the first hunter cowered.

Bullet smiled a threatening smile at the two low life bounty hunters. "I've agreed to pay for his meal, so why don't you two just skedaddle," Bullet advised. Not needing to be told twice, the two bounty hunters started to drag Big Bubba's body away. "Well Danny I see that your just as sharp as ever. Inn keeper a round of ale for me and my friend." Bullet ordered taking a seat next to Danny. The inn keeper arrived with the food and drinks, along with Danny's room key.

"What do you want Bullet?" Danny said as he ate his food.

"To offer you a job of course. There's a difficult witch in the area and I can use a man of your skills to well you know. There's a lot of coin in it for you. Consider this as a down payment." Bullet offered sliding a small box in Danny's direction.

"Sorry not interested," Danny said sternly. "Why don't you send some of your goon squad to hunt her down."

"I did, and none have returned," Bullet said seriously.

Danny could where this is going. While Bullet is not above sending Hunters to their deaths, if he loses too many then he might lose his standings in Sanctuary. But hiring someone else, someone who could actually succeed will be beneficial to him. "Well why don't you just ask Valerie? I'm sure she'll take the job and your money."

"I did, she's one of the hunters that disappeared." Bullet informed him. Danny dropped his spoon in shock of this news. He was silent for a few seconds before he broke out in laughter.

"You really had me going there for a second," Danny laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"No joke," Bullet insisted.

"Well even if you are serious, and I don't think you are, I'm out of the game and no amount of money will ever convince me otherwise!" Danny got up, grabbed his room key, and walked away. Leaving behind Bullet, the package, and his half eaten plate right there.

"He'll come around," Bullet said confidently. "Inn keeper, give me another round of ale."

* * *

Up in his room, Danny placed his giant sword next to his bed. Laying down he stared up at the ceiling. 'Ghost' It's been a long time since anyone has called him that. Not since he and Valerie went their separate ways about 2 years ago to be exact; and 5 years since he first took that name after leaving his home of Amity Park to pursue the wizard Vlad Masters after he stole the Ring of Rage. Danny couldn't help but recall the day they started on this journey together. Of course Valerie wasn't stupid enough to bring an untrained boy to hunt down such a dangerous wizard armed with a powerful Relic right from the get go! No, instead she took him out into the wilderness for 1 year survival training and regular training. During that time (which Danny affectionately calls the Year of Agony) Valerie taught him the basics of hunting and tracking. Which Danny took up rather quickly. (even though it took him 3 months to tell the difference between a squirrel in the bushes and the wind in the trees) But those skill will prove to save his life on more than one occasion. (plus it would also determine whether or not he would have anything to eat) In addition that all that, she also taught him advanced fighting styles (both armed and unarmed) and a basic use of Hunter's tools and weapons. Next to the sword his favorite weapon is the gauntlet with the spring loaded switchblade and cable launcher.

After one year of training, they then began the hunt, which proved to be more difficult than anticipated. Unlike most other wizards that obtain Relics, Vlad Masters did not set up his own kingdom. Nor has there been any word of a new and powerful wizard rising in the world. It just seemed that he just disappeared off the face of the Earth taking the Ring of Rage with him as well. At first they thought that he might have been killed, but then why hasn't the ring resurfaced on who ever killed him? Then they thought that maybe Vlad got buried somewhere with the ring. While that seems plausible, it's unlikely. So the hunt continues until they can confirm that Vlad is dead or until they locate the ring. It was in the first few weeks of the hunt that Danny learned the hardships of a Hunter. Their equipment, while impressive and powerful, were very expensive and prone to breaking. Heck his gauntlet alone costs more than his old full body armor back home and he has to repair it about 5 times a month! Not only that but they also needed to pay off informants, bribe officials, and buy food and shelter. Not wanting to attract too much attention to themselves, they simply hunted down wanted criminals for money; but even so they didn't make enough to finance their mission. Out of desperation, Danny finally agreed to take on contracts. Thanks to Valerie's negotiation skills, (taught to her by Skulker) they manage to take on some high paying jobs. Mainly escort duty, bodyguard, and occasionally hit jobs. As their success grew so did their reputation. And because they wore the same hunting outfit, most people mistakenly thought that Grey and Ghost were one and the same, so ended up being called the Grey Ghost. Which helped give them the element of surprise over their targets. Things were going great until one day Danny found out that some or rather a lot of the contracts were from crime lords! Naturally Danny confronted Valerie about this, but she merely justified it by saying that they need the money. Danny couldn't argue with that, but working with criminals goes against his code of honor so he leaves her. Valerie didn't do or say anything to try and get him to stay, and that hurts him most of all!

Off on his own, Danny discovered just how unprepared he was for this life. Without Valerie's connections he had buy replacement parts mainly from the black-markets. Most of the time they were either second hand or poor quality, often breaking after a couple of uses. Even worst, without her intel he had no idea how to find Vlad. All he had to go on are rumors and hearsay, most proved to be a dead end. On more than one occasion he felt like giving up and heading back home to Amity Park, but of course his pride and honor wouldn't allow him to quit! So the hunt continues, which is why he's here in this run down old town. He heard rumors that the local witch named Spectra was one of the last people to have met with Vlad Masters. As far as he could tell Spectra is a mid level wizard with no special abilities. Normally Danny would already be wary of her, but after what he said about other Hunters including Valerie got him really worried. If this witch can take down Grey then Ghost might be in over his head, especially since all of his gear was junk.

***KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK***

The sound of someone knocking on his door broke his train of though. Getting up Danny answered the door to find one of the waitress there. "May I help you?" Danny asked.

"The master said you left this," the waitress said handing him the box that Bullet tried to give him.

"That belongs to the other guy I was with," Danny said.

"He said it was a gift," the waitress responded nervously.

Danny couldn't help but suspect that Bullet must have intimidated her in some fashion, so he graciously accepted it to give her peace of mind. After carefully examining the package for booby traps, Danny cautiously open it. Inside he found springs, screws, and a bunch of other spare parts. All top of the line stuff, most likely from Sanctuary. Everything that he needed to repair his equipment. "Bullet you sly dog," Danny scoffed, but feeling a bit worried that Bullet knew exactly what he needed. Reaching for his sword, he opened the secret compartment revealing the power source for his special blade: The Crown of Fire! One of if not the most dangerous Relic of all. For reasons unknown (magic is funny that way) Danny discovered that he has the ability to control the crown's fire even when he's not wearing it. So long as it's near his person. Naturally he didn't need the fancy tech to use the blade's power since he could just the crown's power directly; but he needed this deception to help keep the crown's location a secret. As far as everyone knew the Crown of Fire is still buried somewhere; and his sword (now dubbed Striker) is just another one of Sanctuary's fancy toys. Using Bullet's 'gift' Danny quickly repaired his gear and took out his grayish color hunting suit out of his bag. After getting dressed he then walked over to the window. "Sorry Bullet I'm not taking your job, but I do have business with Spectra! Let's go Striker!" Danny then jumped out the window and ran off.

Inside the tavern Bullet was still guzzling down his ale, when off the corner of his eye he spotted a gray figure in the window heading towards Spectra's mansion. "Predictable as always," Bullet grinned finishing his drink. "Inn keeper another round ale! I'm celebrating!"


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM**

Danny carefully scouted Spectra's mansion and the outlining area. It was a rather large 3 story building that practically screamed insane asylum. Yes, it look a lot more like a evil hospital than a house, complete with sinister looking gargoyle statues and a cemetery in the back. The guards seemed to follow a routine patrol pattern, walking down the same path in constant intervals, very easy to avoid. The only question now is; what sort of magical defense Spectra has around the place? Studying the outlining area, there were sensor spells placed around to detect any intruders, but that's about it. Not even protective barriers or trap spells. _'A novice can break into this place,'_ Danny thought to himself. Waiting for the guards to turn the corner, Danny calculated that he had 15 minutes before they returned. Using his newly repaired cable launcher on his gauntlet, Danny fired his cable to the roof of the asylum, I mean mansion, and quickly scaling up the walls until he reached the third story windows. Due to the fact that it's almost impossible for someone the reach the third floor undetected, most people tend to not bother putting any security up there, making it he ideal place to sneak in. Using some thieving tools, Danny carefully undid the latch and opened the window. "Easy as pie," Danny whispered to himself as he stepped into the room.

"Who's there," a voice quietly asked.

Danny quickly turned around see a man sulking in the corner of the room. "Who are you?" Danny asked getting himself ready if need be.

"My name is Freddy not that it matters," Freddy said still curling up in the corner.

"Freddy, one of the Groovy Gang," Danny recognized as one of the Hunters that Bullet employed. "What happened to you? How long you've been here? Is Val...I mean Grey here as well?" Danny asked while examining the room.

"Why is anyone anywhere," Freddy sagged. "I've never heard of this Grey person, unless you mean Grey Ghost."

"Well uh, sort of," Danny choked until he noticed something interesting on the corner of his eye. "And is that a Yo-Yo Blade?" Danny running over to the table that had weapons and tools on it. The Yo-Yo Blade was one of the newer and more interesting weapons that came out. As long as the safety is on it acts like a regular toy; but in combat mode, after the yo-yo travels a certain distance a series of blades pops out. Then the blades automatically retract when it returns to the person. Of course in the off chance that the blades don't retract, Hunters are usually taught to catch it a certain way so that they don't slice off their own fingers. "I've always wanted one of these," he said excitedly.

"Yeah it's yours if you want it, not that it matters," Freddy said again in his depressed tone.

"So is there a female hunter somewhere in this place?" Danny asked after playing with the Yo-Yo Blade, both in safe and combat mode. Though he did find it strange that Freddy still had his tools and weapons but he's not making any attempt to escape.

"Their was a girl here before," Freddy recalled. "Haven't seen her in awhile, not since" Freddy stopped mid-sentence.

"Not since when?" Danny demanded.

"Not since Spectra took her," Freddy cowered.

"Took her where?" Danny now shaking the poor man.

"I don't know!" Freddy screamed in terror, causing Danny to stop. "All I know is that they took her to the main office, and that's the last anyone has seen of her."

"Look I'm going to rescue her," Danny said with determination. "And I could use your help!"

"What's the point," Freddy sulked. "Life is meaningless anyway."

"Will you stop that!" Danny shaking him again.

"It's all meaningless," Freddy cried. Danny finally gave up and released him. Freddy dropped back down into his corner continuing to mutter about how it's all hopeless.

"I'm going now," Danny told him. "I'll leave the door open if you change your mind." Of course Danny wasn't expecting him to. To Danny's surprise the door wasn't even locked. Then again what would be the point if the prisoners act like that? A cold chill ran up Danny's spine, 'what if Valerie is like this?' he wondered to him self. Fearing for his old partner, mentor, and friend Danny hurried down the hall. Having a basic understanding of architecture, he suspects that Spectra's room would most likely be in the very center of this building. Sure enough, he soon found himself in front of one of the most elaborate doors he's ever seen. He carefully approached the door and entered. But the moment his foot hit the floor a pentagram appeared revealing a magical trap. "A BINDING SPELL!" Danny gasped recognizing pattern from his many many many hours of study with Valerie. Soon several chains appeared out of the circle trying to capture him. Reacting quickly, Danny began dodging the chains, while climbing up walls, and grabbing hold of the rafters on the ceiling. Once he got up there the chains stopped pursuing him and instead just started slithering around like snakes looking for him. That's the one big weakness of floor traps, they only work if someone or something is on floor. "I can't believe I made such a rookie mistake," Danny cursed himself.

"_Always remember Danny, there is no greater fool than the one who thinks they already know everything."_ He recalled Valerie lecturing him. All because the security was so lax outside, he had assumed that the inside would be the same, and that's why he fell for an obvious trap. This is probably how the other Hunters got caught as well. While he was in the middle of mentally kicking himself for his stupidity the heard some footsteps heading for him. "Most likely guards to check on the trap," Danny figured. Desperately he looked around for someplace he could hide, wishing that he'd mastered that masking your presents technique. Not finding a suitable place to hide, Danny could only wait to be discovered. At that moment a rat came running over the rafter that Danny was clinging to. Seeing his opportunity, Danny flicked the little rodent off the beam and it fell on the floor. As expected the chains detected the poor animal, ensnaring it just as the guards arrived.

"Check the trap," one of the guards ordered. As the other guard stepped into the room, Danny noticed that the guy's armor started glowing with runes. Most likely a protective spell so that they don't accidentally get caught in any traps.

"Sir it seems to be a rat," the guard reported showing the rat now wrapped in chains.

"A rat!? Not again. This is like the third time this year!" The lead guard moaned and complained as he wiped out one of the symbols on the pentagram, causing the trap to disappear. "I'll go and report this to Lady Spectra while the rest of you continue your rounds," he ordered.

"Belay that!" the rat suddenly spoke. Danny gulped as the rat transformed into a tiny man.

"Master Bertrand!" the guards all came to attention.

"Never mind that, there's an intruder over there!" Bertrand pointing to Danny. Not seeing a reason to stay up there, Danny immediately dropped down, landing on one of the guards, knocking him out.

"Get him!" Bertrand ordered. The guards all charged straight at Danny. Danny's right hand started twitching, eager to draw Striker out and slice these guys in half! But common sense dictate to not waste his most powerful weapon on the grunts, so he opted to his switch blade on gauntlet instead. Pressing the trigger on his gauntlet a 1 ft. long blade sprung out of his left arm. Right off the bat, Danny stabs one of the guards in the chest. The remaining guards moved in to surround him but it was clear by the way they were holding their weapons that they've never received any training. Then they all charged at him at the same time. Danny easily avoided them, causing all the guards to crash into one another.

"You idiots!" Bertrand griped seeing the mess his men was making.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Danny retracted his blade and proceeded to knock the guards out with a series of punches and kicks. He tries to avoid needless bloodshed as much as possible. "Well that takes care of your men. So how about you make this easy on yourself and just surrender." Danny offered.

"Tempting, but here's my counter offer," Bertrand grinned as he transformed into a ferocious panther.

"Yeah I forgot you can do that," Danny gulped as he once again extended his blade. Seeing this vicious animal pacing around him caused Danny to remember something that Valerie taught him a long time ago.

* * *

_*Flashback about 4 ½ years ago*_

"_So what manner of torture you have planned for me today," Danny groaned. His still haven't recovered from beatings he took from their first training session, not to mention all the others that came afterwards._

"_I was thinking we take it easy today and do some bird watching," Valerie smiled._

"_Bird watching?" Danny said feeling a bit confused. "No wait let me guess, you're going to tie me to a tree and let the buzzards eat my entrails."_

"_Come on," Valerie giggled while grabbing his arm. She took him to an open field and pointed to a little sparrow. "Watch closely," she instructed holding him close to her so that he wouldn't spook the bird. Danny blushed a little being so close to her. As he was watching the bird, he also kept an eye on Valerie expecting her to do something, but she never did. After a few minutes, the sparrow took off flying. "So what did the bird do?" she asked casually._

"_Uh, it flew away?" Danny answered feeling even more confused._

"_Okay, but how did it fly?" she asked._

"_It flapped its wings," he responded flapping his arms._

"_Good, you can see the obvious," she applauded. Danny wasn't sure if she was sincere or just mocking him. "So what the legs do? Or its head?"_

"_Huh?" Danny feeling even more confused._

"_I can see you need a demonstration," Valerie smiled as she started watching a different bird. "That bird is going to move three steps forward and then turn to the left and fly off," she predicted. To Danny's surprise, the bird did exactly what she said it would do. "It's going to turn right next after it passes that tree," she added. Again the bird did exactly what she said it would do._

"_How did you do that?" Danny asked._

"_I can read its tells," Valerie answered._

"_Tells?" Danny asked._

"_In order to do anything you need to prepare your body to do that action. For instance, in order to walk you have to raise your leg, and when you're about to turn you shift your body. These pre-actions are called tells." she explained. "When I was watching that bird, I noticed that it was looking in all direction, a common trait that all birds do before taking flight. I also noticed that it was wary of something to the right of it, probably thinks that there's a predator in that direction, so naturally it would turn left to avoid it. But as the same time it was focusing on the right horizon, which means that's the direction it wanted to go. You see Danny everything one does; the way they move, what they are looking at, and even how they breathe at times can give away one's intentions. You just have to keep an eye on everything. Understand?"_

_Danny nodded getting the concept. "So wait if everyone have these tells, I'll be able to tell what others are planning just by watching their tells?" Danny joked using air quotes every time he says tell._

"_For the most part yes," Valerie giggled at him using air quotes. "There are exceptions but being able to predict your enemies intentions will mean the difference between life and death. Especially when your enemy is bigger, stronger, and more powerful than you." she warned._

_*Flashback End*_

* * *

"Alright, what are you planning?" Danny whispered to himself as he studied the panther's movement. 'He's going to pounce and then swing his right paw at me!' Danny predicted. Just as he predicted that the panther pounced swinging his right paw! The panther moved faster than Danny follow or even react to! The only reason Danny is not a scratching post right now is because he moved out of the way before the panther made its move. "Thank you Valerie," Danny quoted. He developed this habit of thanking her whenever one or more of her lessons saves his life. Reading more of the panther's tells, Danny was able to keep out of claws reach, but more important than that, it gave him a rough idea of where there might be openings in the panther's defenses, giving him the means to strike back. Of course they didn't always work, but Danny was able to score a few good hits. After taking one to many hits the panther reverted back to Bertrand. "Had enough?" Danny asked.

"Oh think you are so smart," Bertrand sneered. "Well how about this!" Changing tactics, well actually changing forms, he became a giant wasp. Bertrand/Wasp buzzed around the room with stingers extended. The wasp may not be as powerful as the panther; but it is just as fast and now he can fly, zig zag, and stop on a coin.

"Oh boy," Danny cursed. The panther was bad enough but this is too much. With the wasp's rapid movements Danny didn't have time to analyze its tells. Luckily Bertrand isn't a professional fighter and his movements are basically one patterned. So using what he learned from his previous fight with the panther, Danny was able to second guess Bertrand's moves and react accordingly. Still the wasp rapid movements effectively kept it out of range of Danny's weapons. His normal weapons anyways. "Never used this baby in combat, but let's give you a whirl." Danny joked as he pulled out the Yo-Yo Blade. Danny tossed the yo-yo at the wasp who easily dodged it, but Danny yanked on the string causing the yo-yo to change direction and is now heading for the wasp. Not expecting this, the wasp couldn't evade in time and ended up getting one of its wings sliced off. "Yes! And on my first attempt." Danny cheering his victory as the yo-yo returned to his hand. While it is true he's never used a Yo-Yo Blade before, he has worked with a whip on occasion, so he has a general idea of how to use it.

Irritated by Danny's boasting the wasp tried to get back up, but the lack of a wing meant that it couldn't fly anymore, forcing him to revert back to his human form. "You will pay for that!" Bertrand swore transforming into a giant vulture and diving at Danny. Danny managed to dodge the attack and retaliated by throwing his yo-yo again, but the thick feathers protected the vulture from the yo-yo's blades. Even worst, the vulture's talons were strong enough to crush stone! On the positive side, the vulture isn't as fast or maneuverable as the wasp or panther forms, giving Danny enough time to read his tells.

'Okay he's going to charge at me with both talons, but this is a feint. He's expecting me to dodge and then attack with his beak.' Danny figured. As he predicted the vulture dived straight at him with both talons extended. Danny naturally jumped back to avoid them, that's when the vulture's head made it's move. Expecting this, Danny pulled out a special pellet and tossed it into the vulture's mouth. A tiny explosion could be heard and the vulture started coughing out this strange red smoke. The vulture kept wheezing until it reverted back to Bertrand's human form.

"You like that, it's my own special blend. I call it Pepper Smoke Bomb, perfect if you want to annoy someone or want some spicy ribs." Danny said extending his gauntlet blade. "Now I have some questions for you and you are going to answer them," Danny threatened pointing his sword right at Bertrand's neck. While Bertrand couldn't talk due to the pepper smoke in his mouth, he did manage to huffed out his defiance. Just then another figure wielding a rapier sword came running and knocking Danny's blade away from Bertrand's neck. If the gauntlet blade wasn't strapped to Danny's arm, he was sure he would have lost it.

This newcomer was dressed just like the guards only he had green and red stripes on his armor. Probably symbolizing rank or something. "Are you all right sir?" the guardsman asked Bertrand. Bertrand coughed his frustration. "Yeah, yeah I'm glad you see you're alright too," the guardsman said sarcastically.

"Hey I wasn't done with him!" Danny complained. The guardsman turned his full attention and his rapier at Danny. Danny flinched at the sight of his battle stance. It was all too familiar.

"I don't know what you're doing here Ghost, but it will be the last mistake you ever make!" The guardsman swore as he swung his sword at Danny. As Danny blocked the initial attack with his gauntlet blade, but the guardsmen followed through with and elbow to the chest confirming Danny's suspicions. There was only one person he knew that could hit like this, his old partner Grey a.k.a. Valerie!


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM**

Danny gulp nervously as he got into his battle stance, keeping an eye on every part of his opponent. Just then the guardsman who he thinks is Valerie, since he couldn't see the face under the helmet and the mouth piece muffled the voice so he can't tell if he's a boy or a girl, made her move sending her rapier straight for his heart! Danny flinched, raising his own blade but barely managing to block this attack. As he feared, Danny couldn't read any of her tells! None of her movements betrayed her intent, and the only reason Danny was able to react in time was due to his countless hours he spent sparring with Valerie. The guardsman continued with a series of rapid strikes. Danny tried to hold his ground, but found himself being forced back. Eventually they both paused, backing off to catch their breaths. 'Val is it really you? If so please give me a sign.' Danny silently pleaded. Just then the guardsman made a large circular motion with her sword, triggering another memory.

* * *

_*Flashback*_

_After finishing up his chores, Danny found Valerie standing in front of one of their practice logs. He observed how she did a circular motion before slashing at the log, slicing it in half. "Why do you do that?" Danny asked curiously._

"_Do what?"_

"_So that circle thing before you attack?"_

"_It gives me perspective," Valerie answered doing another circular motion. "This is my circle. The full reach of my attacks. It gives me an idea of how close an enemy has to be for me to hit him."_

"_But why is that necessary?" Danny wondered since knowing one's reach should be second nature._

"_Because in battle the greatest danger is fatigue. No matter how good of a fighter you are, if you get too tired then even a child would be able to kill you. So to conserve energy, you should only attack when you're absolutely certain that you are going to hit your enemy." Valerie did her circle again, only this time when she swung at Danny missing him by a hair. Danny could tell by the look in her eyes that it was intentional. "Or miss if you are just trying to scare him."_

_*Flashback Ends*_

* * *

Drawing his own circle, he envisioned both of them inside invisible bubbles. 'These are our circles, if she attacks me when I'm in her circle, that means she's trying to kill me.' Danny thought to himself. The guardsman quickly resumed her attacks with a series of rapid jabbing motions. All when Danny was within her circle! Danny began to fight back as well, seeing as how his life was on the line, but his gauntlet blade was proving to be a severe disadvantage. While cool and effective, the fact that it's strapped to his arm meant that Danny was limited on its uses in battle, not to mention that the spring and locking system weren't all that strong and could break at a moment's notice. Yes, he needed a real sword for this fight. Again his hand started twitching, wanting to draw Striker out, and again Danny had to resist the urge to use it. Luckily the guards he knocked out earlier had all the swords he needed and more. Now he just needed to buy himself a few seconds to get one.

* * *

Options:

Smoke bomb: very effective as a diversionary device. But he only has one left and may need it to cover his escape. (curses being poor)

Throwing knifes: effective mid-range weapons and excellent for creating a distraction. Plus he has plenty that he got from the thugs and bandits he's been hunting. Downside, if this is Valerie then it would be a futile attempt and a waste of a good knives.

Bolas: good for ensnaring and at this close range, it will trap even Valerie. The only problem is that he can't just use it. It would take him a few seconds to get them ready at which time she could kill him.

Arm cable: good for scaling walls and hooking large objects, but not very effective as a weapon.

Yo-Yo blade: good melee weapon and in the hands of an expert can be deadly and unpredictable. Except that Danny is no expert.

* * *

'Going with the yo-yo' Danny decided. Swinging the yo-yo wildly, he kept it fully extended as it flew around his person, not retracting it once. Keeping the guardsman at yo-yo's length away, while Danny inched his way towards the fallen guards. Suddenly the stepped forward, well within range of the yo-yo kill zone, slicing its string and sending the yo-yo flying across the room until in got impaled on the wall! "Hey I just got that!" Danny complained. While he may have lost his yo-yo, he managed to get close enough to the fallen guard's swords. Kicking two of the swords up so he could grab them without having to bend down.

The first thing Danny noticed as held the swords was how bad they were made. The swords were terribly off balance and heavy. It felt like he was fighting with a sack of potatoes. 'Whoever they hired to forge these swords had no idea what he was doing. Still beggars can't be choosy.' Danny said to himself. Using one sword to attack on high, and the other to hit low, Danny seemed to have gained the advantage as the guardsman started to back off using her one sword to fend of his two. But the tide change again as Danny's movements began to slow down. The awkwardness of the swords was draining his stamina faster that he expected making it harder to hold on to them. The guardsman noticed this too and started to press on her attack, knocking off one of the swords right out of his hand. With one sword gone Danny grasps the remaining swords with both hands. This helped him maintain better control making his attacks more effective. As the two combatants fought, the guardsman rapier broke under the stress of the battle! Shocked by this turn of events, Danny wasn't going to waste this opportunity and pointed his sword at the guardsman's face/helmet. "You lose," Danny declaring victory.

"Are you sure," the guardsman mocked. Suddenly Danny felt a stinging sensation on his leg. Looking down he saw an asp slithering right next to him before turning into Bertrand.

"That was for the smoke bomb in my mouth! Ugh I can still taste it." Bertrand spat.

"Oh crud, I forgot about you," Danny cursed as his vision started to blur.

"Yes, so how's about you surrender this time?" Bertrand mocked.

"That's one option, however I choose...SMOKE BOMB!" Danny threw his last smoke bomb filling the room with a strong pepper cloud. (Good thing he didn't use it during the fight.)

"Not again!" Bertrand coughed. After some of the smoke cleared he saw that the intruder was nowhere to be seen. "Where is he!? Find him!" he ordered.

Just outside in the hall, Danny limped away as fast as he could. He could feel his body burning from the venom coursing in his veins. Not sensing anyone nearby, he pulled out a vial of APA (All Purpose Antidote) out of his emergency medical pouch. At least he hopes it's APA, hard to tell with his vision blurred. Plus since he bought it on the black market so there's no guarantee that it is even APA to begin with. Seeing as how he doesn't have much of a choice, Danny drank the contents of the vial. Thankfully the medicine began to subside the pain almost immediately, making him feel very relaxed. "Oh crud," Danny cursed as he started to get drowsy. He had forgotten that APA puts you to sleep for eight hours after drinking it. That is why they say never to use it in enemy territory. Danny struggled to stay awake long enough for him to find a place to hide, and hope they don't find him until it wears off. Unfortunately he took the wrong step and fell down a flight of stairs. He soon heard several footsteps, which he assumes are guards, heading straight towards him. "I'm sorry everyone, I've failed. I've failed you all." Danny cried as everything faded to black.

* * *

In the darkness, Danny floated in a sea of anxiety. All around him he heard voices of his loved ones accusing him of his past failures:

_"How could you Danny? How could you just leave your kingdom, your home just when we needed you most?"_

_"You've disgraced our family honor!"_

"_Why Danny, why did you steal my crown? You are no better than Vlad Masters!"_

"_This job was bigger than the both of us. I still needed you help, but instead you abandoned me, and now look at what your failure has wrought_!"

Danny saw a vision of Amity Park being burned to the ground with a giant Vlad Masters laughing manically as lightning rained destruction down on his home city. But the most frightening thing was that Vlad was not just wearing the ring; he also had the crown, the dragon amulet, and four other objects which he assumes are the other Relics. "No, NO! It can't be!" Danny cried.

"_But it is! Vlad has all seven Relics and is now the Wizard King; and it's your fault, all because you didn't stop him! All because you failed! Failure, failure, failure..."_ the voices of his friends and family repeatedly accused.

* * *

"NNNNOOOO!" Danny screamed waking up in cold sweat.

"Aw finally awake are we," this strange female voice suddenly said. Danny turned to see this beautiful woman sitting right next to his bed. The weird thing is that it looked like she was inhaling some kind of greenish mist. Even weirder, every time she inhales the mist her wrinkles disappears and her skin becomes more vibrate and colorful. Almost like she was becoming younger and dare he add prettier. Danny wasn't sure if this was real, or a hallucination caused by the venom and/or APA.

"Who are you?" Danny said weakly, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

"Now that's a fine thing to ask someone after breaking into their house," the lady snickered.

"Spectra," Danny figured.

"Correct, and you would be the infamous mercenary for hire, the Grey Ghost. You're definitely a lot more hunkier than I was led to believe." Spectra licking her lips. Danny flinched fearing for his identity, but he found it strange that his mask was still on. "Oh don't worry, I didn't peek. That's not my style. I prefer if you unmask yourself for me." Spectra said seductively. Leaning so close to his face that he could smell her breath, which was not all that bad to be honest.

'Is this woman trying to seduce me?' Danny panicked. Just when it seemed like she was going to kiss him, she pulled back grinning playfully.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," Spectra said getting up. "I have already provided some water and clean clothes for you to freshen up," Spectra directing his attention to the washroom. Danny noticed all of his gear as well as his sword Striker, was on the table next to the washroom. "The dining hall is the third door to your left, I hope you'd be joining us." Spectra blew him a kiss before leaving.

Danny got up to check out his gear. So far no sign of tampering, but just to be sure he activated Striker's generator. Thankfully the blade came to life proving that the crown was still inside. Danny was tempted to just grabbing his stuff and leaving this forsaken place, but he still had a job to do. After he cleaned himself up and got dressed in the clothing provided, he made his way to the dining hall.

Waiting outside the door to the dining hall, stood the guardsman, who he thinks is Valerie. "The mistress is expecting you," the guardsman directed opening the door.

"Thanks," Danny said dryly tossing the guardsman a copper coin. Inside he found Spectra sitting on a large and rather fancy table carved from fine marble. Sitting right next to her, that shape shifting midget Bertrand. "The sword stays with me," Danny insisted pointing to Striker strapped to his back. He wanted to bring his other weapons as well but the clothes they provided made it impossible for him to conceal any of it.

"Fine, fine," Spectra waved off. "Please sit down. And might I add, you are even more handsome than I expected." she said admiring his face. While ever fiber of his being told him that this is a bad idea, he decided to play along with Spectra's flirting and came to dinner unmasked.

"Thank you my lady," Danny said respectfully taking his seat. Which looked really weird with an oversized sword on his back. After he sat down several servants came in placing down salads, roasted chicken, warm bread, honey, and what looked like blood wine. One thing that he noticed was that all the servants looked depressed, empty, devoid of hope, almost exactly like Freddy did! He also noticed that they were setting up an extra spot on the table. "Is someone else joining us madam?" Danny asked.

"Please don't be so formal, we're all friends here, just call me Penelope," Spectra insisted. "As for your question. Yes, but not until later." Spectra taking a sip from her glass. "I must say I'm quite impressed with your performance. Not everyone can break into my house, evade my traps, and fight off not only my right hand man but my personal bodyguard as well."

"Considering how I nearly died, I wouldn't call my performance impressive." Danny sulked ripping off one of the drumsticks off the chicken.

"Maybe not, but you were able to fend off my attacks and that accounts for something," a familiar voice said from the door. Danny quickly turned to see her! His old partner Valerie. It seems that the years have been good to her; as she seemed not only taller than he remembered, but more developed and attractive as well. But the biggest change he noticed was that she now had a crew cut instead of her long curly hair. Yes normally Danny prefers girls with long hair, but this new short hair style works for her. It made her look more dangerous and hot!

"I believe you've met my bodyguard Veil, the one you were fighting earlier," Spectra introduced.

"Oh I didn't expect such a beauty to be in that ugly armor," Danny said smoothly.

"Watch yourself Grey Ghost, I've killed men with better pick up lines than that." Valerie warned taking her seat. Across the table he could see Spectra sneering at them.

"Alright, no more flirting," Danny promised. "But I am curious to why am I here? Why didn't you just kill me when I was helpless?"

"Killing you would be a waste," Spectra answered. "Since you are a mercenary you have no loyalties anyone. So how about you come work for me." Spectra offered. Snapping her fingers a small treasure chest appeared filled with gold coins. "I can pay you handsomely for your services. Though not as handsome as you." she teased.

"Tempting, but I'm on a job right now, and can't take another until I either finish or my client can't pay. Call it professionalism" Danny said.

"And when you say, he cannot pay, does that mean?" Spectra ran her thumb over her throat.

"Usually," Danny answered.

"I'll double your pay if you take out client right now," Spectra said snapping her fingers again and more gold coins appeared on the table.

"I must say, for someone who lives in such a impoverish town you are rather loaded," Danny commented.

"Yes well, I do have connections," Spectra gloated.

"Connections?" Danny wondered.

"You've heard of the DALV group, no?" Spectra asked.

"No can't say that I have," Danny shaking his head. Though he couldn't shake the feeling that this is important.

"Well..." Spectra started to say, until Bertrand coughed warning her that she was saying too much. "Let me just say that they can make us both richer than our wildest imagination."

"I don't know, I can imagine quite a bit," Danny challenged.

"You'll get it, but only if you agree to work for me. And you can start by killing your previous employer." Spectra demanded.

"Deal!" Danny said grabbing a knife off the table and throwing it at Bertrand! The little shape shifter screamed in terror as the knife stopped. Floating mere centimeters from from his face and right between the eyes! Danny saw that it was Spectra herself that magically stopped the knife.

"Nice try," Spectra laughed in amusement using her magic to return the knife to Danny. "But you'll never convince me that my dear Bertrand will ever betray me. So tell me, who really sent you here to kill me?"

"No one did," Valerie/Veil said taking a sip of her wine. "Otherwise he would have attacked you directly. He just attacked master Bertrand because he doesn't like him. Then again, who does?" Veil joked. Bertrand glared at both Danny and Veil as he took a bite of his chicken. "So the question is who hired him and for what?"

"Bullet," Danny finally answered. "But as she said, not to kill you. He wanted me to find out what happened to the other Hunters and if possible rescue them. But I'm sure he was hoping for some sort of confrontation between us."

"Interesting, but why not kill me? I'm sure he'll pay well for the deed." Spectra asked.

"Well mis...Penelope," Danny corrected himself. "Let's just say that I don't intend to get myself involved in this little private war of theirs against your kind. I'm just in it for the money."

"Let me get this straight. If I release the Hunters I'm holding prisoner, then you'll be free as well?" Spectra asked excitedly.

"Yes," Danny said.

"Done!" Spectra clapped summoning one of her servants. "Release the Hunters and provide them a ride back to town." Spectra ordered.

"Whatever," the servant shrugged as he left to carry out her orders. Again Danny noticed that strange mist that Spectra is inhaling, only this time it seemed lighter and originating from the servant.

"So will you take me up on my offer?" Spectra asked after the servant left.

"After I confirm my pay, yes." Danny answered.

"I look forward to a wonderful partnership," Spectra toasted.

* * *

After dinner Danny returned to the room that they've provided for him. His mind racing with all he had just learned. Valerie, now calling herself Veil, working for Spectra, and this DALV group. He just can't shake the feeling that it is all connected some how, and he needs to find some answers and soon. His best chance for finding answers is Valerie! He just needed to find a way to talk to her in private, but that's assuming that she is still on his side. Danny felt tired, but he didn't want to go to sleep; because ever time he closes his eyes, that's when the nightmares come.

Back at the dining hall, Spectra was still there sniffing the mist from the chairs that Danny and Valerie was sitting in. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bertrand asked. "I mean letting the prisoners go and bringing Grey Ghost in?"

"You know that misery keeps me young and beautiful, and that Grey Ghost is like a walking spa treatment! He has more misery than all the prisoners and even the servants combined! Between him and Veil, I can stay young for years to come!" Spectra said ecstatically. "It's a good thing I caught a whiff of it before you idiots had a chance to kill him!"

"But he is also dangerous!" Bertrand reminded her. "Who's to say that he won't cut off our heads the moment our backs are turned."

"Easy, we just have to make him loyal to me," Spectra grinned as she started admiring herself in the mirror. "The only question is, should I use magic?" Spectra casting a hypnotic spell on her servants causing them to dance. "Or my beauty?" she said kissing her reflection.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM**

"Alright, what is the meaning of this? What are you all doing here?" Bullet demanded seeing all the Hunters he'd sent to Spectra's manor sulking just outside of town. Earlier that day Bullet received a message to come to this location to 'pick up' his belongings. Of course he was expecting some kind of trap, so he brought back up, but he didn't expect this.

"What is point of being anywhere?" Freddy said sadly.

"Well can you answer me why Spectra set you and the others free?" Bullet asked.

"What's the point of being free? It's all meaningless anyway." Freddy cried dropping to fetal position. Soon the other former captives did as well. All chanting, "It's all meaningless."

"Stop that!" Bullet yelled silencing the Hunters. "All of you just help them get back to base, I'll sort things out later!" he ordered rubbing his head. His men tried to get the former captives moving, but to no avail. Bullet really didn't want to do this but they weren't giving him much of a choice. "Would you boys do it for a Kitty Krunch?" Bullet blushed in embarrassment, shaking a small bag of treats. The sight of bag caused all the Hunters, including the men he brought with him, to instantly perk up. Bullet then tossed them each a treat which they call caught in their mouths, showing a blissful and content expression on their faces after eating. "Now get your butts back to base!" Bullet demanded. The newly revitalized Hunters hurried off. As his men made their way back to town Bullet caught sight of a greyish figure standing behind some rocks. He wasn't sure what's going on here, but he knew that he needed to make plans!

* * *

Out from behind the rocks, Danny in his full Grey Ghost outfit, carefully observe as Bullet guided his men back into town. Satisfied, Danny made his way back to Spectra's mansion. "Was everything taken care of?" Spectra asked upon his return.

"Yes, all businesses and payments with Bullet have concluded," Grey Ghost answered as he entered Spectra's office.

"Funny it didn't look that way to me," said a bird flying through the window and landing next to Spectra, which then transformed into Bertrand. "In fact I didn't even see you talk with him at all," Bertrand accused. Yeah Danny figured they'd keep him under tabs.

"That's because you weren't meant to," Grey Ghost lied getting right into Bertrand's face.

"Oh those Hunters and their secret transactions," Spectra laughed separating the two. She was fully aware how Hunters often did business in secret, sometimes even secretly in plain sight, so Grey Ghost's answer made perfect sense to her. "So if your business with Bullet is done, then will you come work for me?" Spectra holding up some contracts for him to sign.

"Perhaps, but only if you tell me more about this DALV group," Grey Ghost insisted. Again Bertrand coughed his warning at Spectra. Spectra in turn nodded in understanding at her loyal aid.

"The DALV group is a, how should I put it, a transport company that started about 3 years ago," Spectra started saying.

"You mean they're smugglers," Grey Ghost retorted.

"Smugglers!" Bertrand laughed. "That's like calling the Relics mere trinkets!" This time it was Spectra that coughed her warning while glaring at the little man. Shutting him up immediately.

"Some may call it that," Spectra continued. "Anyway, they want to set up a trade route through my territory. One that promises great wealth if I can protect the cargo." Danny was getting a clearer picture of what's going on here. A small fledgling smuggler operation could escape notice from not only the local authorities, but from the crime syndicates as well. If they play their cards right, they may in fact bring large profit. But no matter how you calculate the numbers, this wouldn't be any where near the amount that Spectra was suggesting at all. Which means that whatever it is that they are smuggling must be some highly valuable cargo, or there's more to the deal than she's letting on.

"So what will they be transporting through your lands?" Grey Ghost asked.

"I think you've heard enough for now," Spectra said slyly. "So why don't you get some rest, we have a busy day tomorrow." Grey Ghost bowed respectfully before leaving.

"I don't trust him!" Bertrand voicing his objections again after Grey Ghost has gone.

"You don't need to trust him, we just need to employ him." Spectra snapped getting tired of his whining. "Once word gets around that the Grey Ghost is under my control, that will increase our standings with the DALV group!"

"And how do you plan on getting him under your control?" Bertrand asked. "I still think it's a mistake to tell him about the DALV group."

"We need him to trust us, and that requires us to tell him some of our secrets," Spectra pointed out. "To an extent of course," she added. "Anyways, I'll deal with our guest, while you oversee the mining operation. We still have to meet our quota for the master after all."

"That's the smartest thing you've said all week," Bertrand retorted as he transformed into a bird and flew off. Outside her office, Grey Ghost was eavesdropping using a special hunters tool that allows him to listen through the walls. A stethoscope he thinks Valerie calls it. Afterwards Danny roamed halls trying to piece together everything that he's learned:

* * *

1) Spectra has some kind of deal working with this DALV group, one that's going to be worth a lot of money by her indication.

2) This DALV group, is it really some kind if smuggling organization or something more? And what is it that they are planning to transport? Some valuable cargo or maybe whatever it is that Spectra is mining?

3) Who is this Master? Judging by the way she said it, he could tell that Spectra is afraid of him. Is the Master connected to the DALV group in some manner?

4) Then there is Valerie posing as Spectra's personal bodyguard. How does she fit into all this? Is she hunting Spectra, or is she after the big score as well?

* * *

Danny didn't want to believe that his old friend has fallen into greed, but he has seen it happen to others before. Not pretty. Perhaps he should not delay confronting her about it any longer. The only problem is, how to do it discreetly? Just then the answer came up. He spotted her in the training hall, practicing with wooden swords. "Care for a sparring match?" Danny suggested.

"If you think you can handle me without your fancy toys," Valerie challenged. Naturally Danny dropped his belt and other tools. He even unstrapped Striker off his back as he grabbed a wooden sword. Facing off against each other, the two traced circle around themselves before getting into battle stance. Danny made the first move, aiming high for a head shot, which Valerie easily blocked. She then countered with a swing to the torso. Danny immediately jumped back to avoid it. The two continued to spare with neither one gain or losing ground or momentum. "Not bad Grey Ghost, but I get the feeling that you're holding back," Valerie observed.

"True, then again I could say the same about you Veil," Danny said lowering his sword. Despite what it looks like, Danny hasn't dropped his guard. A mistake that many have made in the past.

"If you're not here to fight, then why are you here?" Valerie asked as swung at him. Reacting quickly, Danny raised his sword to block it.

"Just curious. I heard that you were one of the Hunters that came with the others, and I was just wondering how you ended up as Spectra's lackey?" Danny said performing a few attacks of his own.

"Call it a wonderful business opportunity," Valerie said as she started to pick up the pace. "It can bring me the payoff I've always wanted."

"You mean this DALV group, what are they exactly?" Danny asked matching her speed.

"Don't know for sure, but I can tell you this much, they are a lot more than what they seem." Valerie said ominously as she increased the intensity of the fight.

"How so?" Danny wanted to ask, but it was taking every bit of concentration just to keep up with her. Soon both of their wooden swords broke, and at this point the adrenaline rush kicked in and the only thing on their mind was the fight. They hurried over to the supply shelves and each grabbed two more wooden swords. Both using two handed sword styles, they attacked each other relentlessly. Not only with just swords, but with kicks and other forms of attacks as well. It felt almost like old times, how they sparred back during their training days. No secret plans, no life threatening situation, no ulterior motives. Just a good clean fight! In the end, Valerie did a low sweep kick that knocked Danny to the floor. She then dropped on top of him, kind of like a wrestler going for the pin, holding one of her swords at Danny throat to claim victory.

"One word of advise, the DALV group is more dangerous that you can possibly imagine. I suggest you try not to dig too deep with them, otherwise you'll find that you have dug your own grave." Valerie whispered a warning in his ear before leaving the training hall. Danny laid on the ground for a bit trying to process what she had just told him.

"Well done Veil," Spectra applauded as her personal body guard exited the training hall.

"Uh thank you mistress," Valerie gulped. She was so into the fight that she didn't even noticed that Spectra was there, which could be a fatal mistake!

"Yes, I didn't think that you could have beaten someone like the Grey Ghost," Spectra grinned inhaling the misery that Veil was now seeping.

"I think he allowed me the victory," Valerie lied. "It seemed that he was more interested in gaining information from me."

"I see," Spectra grinned. "But it also looks, and I'm just spit balling here, that you two are getting a little too friendly with each other? Especially at the end." Spectra sneered.

"We've trained under the same master for awhile, before we went our separate ways," Valerie explained sadly. Glancing over to Danny, she saw that he was leaving the training hall using the other exit.

"And you did not see fit to tell me?" Spectra scolded.

"I did not recognize him until recently, my lady," Valerie lied. Spectra leaned forward, staring at her henchman for what seemed like hours before backing off.

"I see, well go about your duties then," Spectra ordered. As Valerie left, Spectra breathed a sigh of relief. The amount of misery that Valerie was now excreting was intoxicating. So much so that Spectra couldn't almost stand it. What ever history Veil and Grey Ghost shared was obviously a painful one for both of them. Something that Spectra will have to look into and soon.

* * *

Danny continued to search around the mansion, trying to find clues to what's going on, but other than extremely depressing artwork, there's not much here. It looks like the only place he's going to find answers is in Spectra's private office, but how to sneak in there?

"Master Grey Ghost," a servant called out to him breaking his train of thought.

"Yes what is it?" Danny asked.

"Lady Spectra has requested your presents in her private study," the servant informs him.

'Bingo,' Danny thinks to himself. While he won't be able to snoop around her room, it will give him the opportunity to study her defenses for when he'll try to sneak in later. "I'm on my way," he told the servant. Moments later, Danny knocked on her door.

"Come in," she said.

"You've sent for me, my...Penelope?" Danny asked as he entered.

"Yes, it has come to my attention that you and Veil have some history," Spectra hissed as she circled around him. "Care to explain?"

"Not much to say," Danny wondering how much he should tell her. "We've trained together for the most part and that's about it. I haven't seen her in years and was shocked to find her here." He said sadly.

"I see," Spectra said with great interest as she sat on her desk. Crossing her legs so that Grey Ghost could see up her dress! "So there's nothing else between you two?"

"Nothing," Danny gulped nervously trying to avoid looking at Spectra's legs. Something that didn't escape Spectra's notice, so she adjusted her position, causing her dress to accidentally on purposely slide down a bit, making it look almost like it was about to come off. "But I'm wondering, how is it that she came to be in your employment?" Danny asked looking away as to not stare at her bare flesh, but couldn't resist.

"Oh not much to say," Spectra teased using his words and again shifting her pose to make sure he gets a better view. "She came her with those other Hunters and like you she manage to evade my traps. It didn't take me long to realized that she was different from the others. _Especially with all the misery coming out of her._" Spectra whispering that last part. "So I offered her a position as my personal guard and she accepted."

"That's it?" Danny giving her his full attention as he tried to study her expressions while at the same time, trying to ignore her indecencies.

"That's it," Spectra confirmed, getting off the desk and walking over to his side. Danny flinched as Spectra took his hand and held it right between her breasts. Spectra chuckled, taking amusement in his reactions as well as a health dose of misery he was emitting. "We shook hands right then and there. Maybe you should do the same?" She suggested seductively rubbing his hand across her cheek.

"Perhaps I will," Danny said pulling his hand back. "If I may be excused."

"Of course, see you real soon," Spectra grinned blowing him a kiss as he left. Danny took a deep breath trying to calm himself down as he exited her room. He couldn't believe what just happened! Still despite the awkwardness of that situation, he was able to study enough of her room to plan his break in.

* * *

Later that night, Grey Ghost swiftly and quietly made his way to Spectra's private study. Due to her arrogance, he knew that she wouldn't even bother to lock the room. He opened the door and carefully entered. Not to trigger any floor traps, he stepped carefully until he made it to her desk. Going through her notes he found work schedules, a map to what he suspects is that mine they were talking about earlier, and messages from someone called the Master. Quickly skimming over the messages, they simply talked about a deal and to make sure that she does her end or else. There was however a promise of a big payoff, an amount worth more than all the bounties Danny has ever collected, if the deal goes as planned. But there were no details of what they were planning. So the deal was done either in person or there was a code in the messages that he's not seeing. Danny sighed sadly as he jotted down some notes, wishing that he had some of that copying paper that Valerie always bought. Back then he'd thought they were a waste of money, but now he sees how useful they really are. Making sure to put everything back how he found them, Danny prepared to leave; when all of a sudden, the all torches and candles in the room burst into a eerie green flame. Danny instinctively reached for Striker when he heard Spectra's voice laughing in the darkness.

"I would say that this is a surprise, but I knew you'd try something like this." Spectra said as she appeared before Danny wearing a light-greenish transparent nightgown that practically shows off her entire body. Making him wonder why she'd even bother wearing it at all!

"I-I-I would apologize, but I-I-I needed to make sure of m-m-my investment," Danny stuttered trying to maintain his composure and failing at it!

"And do you like what you see?" Spectra asked with great interest. Tracing her arms across her body, causing Danny focus on her figure.

"If the figure...I mean, numbers are all true, then yes." Danny huffed nervously.

"Oh they are true," Spectra promised as she moved closer to him. "And tomorrow I will show how true they are; but for now, let us do a trust exercise." Spectra taking Danny's mask off and planting a kiss on his lips.

'_Man oh man, why didn't I listen to her!'_ Danny cursed himself.

* * *

_*Flashback 4 years ago, the last week of the Year of Agony*_

_Danny and Valerie faced each other in full body armor and practice swords. This sparring match will be his last test before they begin the hunt for Vlad Masters and the Ring of Rage. The match started as it usually did, when Valerie swung too wide, leaving herself open! Danny knew that she might be baiting him, but it was too good of an opportunity to waste. So struck at the opening hitting her on the chest right where her heart is. But the moment his sword made contact, her armor came apart leaving her completely naked except her shoes. "Valerie, what is the meaning of this!?" Danny yelled covering his eyes._

"_Don't look away Danny!" Valerie ordered. "You have to get accustom to seeing women's body."_

"_But why?" Danny asked trying to look at her but can't, not while she's like this._

"_Because there are women out there that uses their beauty and seduction as a weapon," Valerie warned. "And your only chance against them is stop seeing women as women, and realize that there's nothing special or embarrassing about women's bodies. So come on!" she challenged._

"_Sorry I can't do this!" Danny said dropping his sword. "Besides, I doubt that any women would degrade themselves, using their bodies in this manner."_

"_Fine but if you find yourself going against a half dressed assassin using her breast to entrance you, don't come crying to me!" Valerie yelled throwing her practice sword at Danny's thick head._

_*Flashback End*_

* * *

As Spectra slipped her tongue into his mouth, Danny felt his will to resist fading. Placing his arms around her body, he drew her in closer, hating himself for being so weak as he gave in to her charms. Spectra smiled in victory, not only from Grey Ghost accepting her advances, but also from all the misery he's seeping right now from every pore in his body. _'I really should have taken that training more seriously,'_ Danny thought mentally slapping himself!


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM**

Licking her lips with anticipation, Spectra guided Danny towards the middle of her office. Then with a snap of her fingers, the green smoke from the green flames on her torches encircled around her desk turning in to a large bed with silk sheets! Spectra crawled on to the bed, seductively coaxing him to join her. Danny hesitated, not wanting to go any further but at the same time unable to resist; and before he knew it, he was already laying on the bed right next to her. Spectra resumed kissing him, while at the same time attempting to removing his garments. Which proved harder that she thought due to special locking mechanisms in the clothes meant to protect the wearer in combat situations, but now it seems they can serve another purpose as well. She finally manage to get his belt off when they heard a knocking on the door. "GO AWAY!" Spectra yelled at the door. "Grr, I knew I should have put up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign!" Spectra cursed turning her attention back at Danny.

"Mistress, I do not mean to intrude, but some vultures arrived with a priority message from the DALV group." the guardsman reported. This got Spectra's attention. As much as she would have preferred to have her fun with Grey Ghost, she knew better than to ignore this! Spectra immediately jumped out of bed, and with a snap of her fingers, her transparent nightgown transformed into her regular dress that she normally wears during the day.

'An illusion spell!' Danny realized, causing him to wonder if that really was Spectra's body he was ogling at earlier through that see-through clothing. Danny watch as Spectra broke the wax seal on the message after guard handed it to her. After reading it she turned back to Danny. "I'm sorry, but something urgent has come up," Spectra trying to sound cheerful, but he could hear her frustration seething through her teeth. She gave a him friendly wave before leaving.

Danny breathed a sigh of relief, dropping his head down on the fluffy pillows. That was the most terrifying, most exhausting, and at the same time most exciting experience he ever went through. Still he's just glad that it was over. Now he just wants to close his eyes and...

"Unless you're planning on giving Spectra your virtue, I suggest sleeping in your own bed!" the guard scolded taking her helmet off, revealing to be Valerie.

"Valerie!" Danny jerked with embarrassment, almost forgetting that she was there.

"It's Veil!" Valerie corrected him.

"Sorry Veil," Danny apologized. "It's good to see you again, and thanks for saving me, again." Danny said sadly. "You were right. About everything. I never should have abandoned you." Danny cried still unable to stand up for some reason, and fell on the floor, but while he was down there he took the opportunity to gather up the broken wax seal pieces from the message.

"Forget about it," Valerie sighed sadly as she helped him up. "But don't expect me to save your butt every time you do something stupid! Though I must say I'm really impressed that you made it this far on your own. I figured you'd either be playing nursemaid to a bunch of horses back in Amity Park or dead by now." Valerie joked helping him back to his room.

"I was considering doing both actually," Danny sighed recalling all the times he wanted to give up. "Not at the same time of course," he quickly clarified.

"Of course," Valerie laughed.

"Hey Veil," Danny gulped. "You remember that one lesson you tried to teach me?"

"Which lesson?" Valerie asked.

"The one where you wanted me to duel you naked?" Danny choked.

"Why? Since you missed your chance with Spectra you want to try your luck with me now." Valerie teased. Danny didn't respond and simply grumbled in silence protest. "The best way to prepare for this is to first imagine your family and friends both fully clothed and fully naked." she instructed.

"Huh?" Danny feeling confused.

"It's just easier to see people your familiar with naked. Once you get accustomed to that then you can work with others." Valerie explained.

"So why should I also picture them fully clothed?" Danny asked.

"Because by doing that you'll start to see them in the same light," Valerie explained. "Just mediate on it for awhile and maybe if you live long enough you'll see what I mean." she suggested as she dropped him off at his room.

Inside he room, Danny placed the broken wax on the table, reassembling them together. Since he didn't have all the pieces, what he did have formed part of what resembled rather fancy looking D symbol. He didn't recognize it, but what caught his interest was the design of the seal. It was way to decorative to belong to a simple criminal organization, especially a fledgling one. Which means that whoever is behind it must be of noble lineage! Of course nobles working with criminals is nothing new, heck he was aware about that fact long before he even started his training as a knight; but now the big question is, how much political influence do these nobles have and how much power they have in the underworld? Now Valerie's warning is starting to make sense, as well as Spectra's claim to vast wealth. He needed to find more information, but that will have to wait. Right now he had more pressing matters to attend to. Danny proceeded to crush the wax seal into dust so to not leave any trace of his investigation. He then sat on the floor in meditation trying to practice what Valerie had just taught him.

* * *

Meanwhile Spectra hurried to her secret room behind the bookshelf. Inside she knelt down on the pentagram in the center on the room. As the pentagram glowed the torches in the room lit and the black smoke from the fires collected in front of her forming a giant black shadow with red eyes! "What is thy bidding my master," Spectra said bowing her head.

"It has come to my attention that Bullet has been causing you some problems as of late, which could jeopardize my plans. So I must ask, what are you doing about it?" the master inquired.

"You need not worry. I have everything under control." Spectra insisted.

"Really, my spies reported that the Hunters you've captured, hunters that Bullet can use to threaten my operation, had escaped and are now back with him! So how is that UNDER CONTROL!" the master demanded. His voice shaking the whole room.

"They didn't escape, I let them go," Spectra clarified.

"WHAT?" the master screamed shaking the whole room again, this time some dust and debris falling from the ceiling.

"It was part of the plan I made in order to employ a very powerful mercenary," Spectra gulped. "Maybe you've hear of him, the Grey Ghost!" Spectra created an image of the Grey Ghost without his mask!

"The whelp! Alive!" the master gasped.

"Do you know him master?" Spectra wondered.

"I knew him when he called himself Danny Paladin!" the master sneered.

"Danny, that's a cute name," Spectra giggled picturing the surprise look on his face when he finds out that she knows his real name.

"Do not underestimate him. For he is also Skulker's apprentice!" the master spat.

"Skulker! The legendary Hunter?" Spectra jumped. Even though no one has heard from him in five years, his name still brings fear to wizards and witches everywhere. Just then she remembered that Veil mentioned that she and Danny studied under the same master. _'Is she also Skulker's apprentice?'_ Spectra wondered. That is definitely something she's going to have to look into.

"How much does he know?" the master asked.

"Nothing master, just that I can promise him a fortune if he serves me. Plus I promised him several perks as well." Spectra winked hinting at she's offering him.

"You must kill him now!" the master ordered. "Before he learns too much!"

"Please master, give me a chance! If can I turn him, he will be a great asset to our organization!" Spectra argued.

"Do you think you can control him?" the master asked skeptically.

"Without a doubt, trust me! After all the two things men can't resist is wealth and beauty, and I can offer him both. I just need a little more time and I swear he will be completely devoted to me." Spectra said confidently.

"Very well, but don't disappoint me. Otherwise you'll wish that I have left you to Bullet and his Hunters!" the master warned before vanishing. Spectra took a minute to gather herself before hurrying back to her office. Much to her disappointment, Grey Ghost or rather Danny wasn't there anymore. Still that's to be expected. Spectra was tempted to 'visit' his room, but after that meeting with the master, she just didn't feel like playing with him and simply returned to her own quarters. She was so tired that she didn't even bother to absorb or even notice all the misery that Danny and Valerie left behind.

* * *

Back at his room, Danny continued with his image training. Taking Valerie's advice, he first started picturing his parents naked, but that just grossed him out, and he buried that image somewhere deep in his subconscious. Next he started picturing his sister Jazz and his cousin Dani naked. This worked out a little better for him since he has seen both of them naked at some point. Jazz when he accidentally walked into her room while she was undressing, and Dani when he stripped her to look for the PD mark. While still embarrassed about seeing at them naked, it didn't make him want to regurgitate. Plus they were family so he didn't have any lustful temptations towards either. Then he tried to picture Sam and Tucker naked. This prompted and early memory from his childhood, from back when they were 6. He recalled how Sam used to love playing in the gardens. Then one rainy day she wanted to play in the mud and dragged the two of them with her. Playing in the mud was fun, but it also got them in a world of trouble with their parents. Shortly after a long lecturing, the trio took their first bath together, and that's when Danny and Tucker saw for the first time that there are differences between boys' and girls' body! Incidentally that was also the first time they realized that Sam was a girl! Seeing his friends naked as kids did help him relax a bit, so he tried to imaged then older and naked. Tuck was easy to image, but Sam was a bit tricky. No matter how hard he tried, the best he could do was making her child body look bigger, so she just ended up looking like a 5 ft. tall naked kid. Not very flattering at all.

"This isn't helping," Danny groaned. He was just to inexperienced when it came to women's bodies. Other than Spectra, and he didn't want to imagine Sam with that kind of body, the only other person he's seen naked was Valerie. Suddenly Danny found himself thinking about Valerie in the nude, only unlike the others who were just standing still, he envisioned her holding practice swords ready to duel. Danny started to imagine himself getting ready to fight her as well; and soon found himself mentally recreating the fight they had earlier, only this time they were both naked! To Danny's surprise, he found himself not caring at all that neither he or she was naked! The only thing that mattered was the duel. "Clothed or naked, it doesn't matter," Danny whispered out loud. "Is this what you were talking about?' Danny asked the apparition of his old partner. The image of Valerie stopped fighting and smiled approvingly at him. Then another image of Valerie only clothed appeared standing next to the first one, along with all his family and friends (he gave Sam a similar body type as Valerie) both naked and clothed appearing as well. Danny then started adding random people into the group; and soon found himself getting less and less embarrassed, and more comfortable about being around naked people. At least in his own imagination, so he decided to step it up a bit. "Alright I've got this! Come on give me your best shot!" Danny mentally dared, feeling cocky. The images then started to make way as the image of Spectra wearing her transparent nightgown slowly approaching him.

Danny started sweating as he felt his confidence fading away as his self control began losing to primal urges! While he was getting accustomed to view naked people the same as if they were clothed, for some reason transparent clothing still freaks him out! Spectra moved in closer and closer until she was right in front of him. She then gave him a light push, causing him to fall backwards, and Danny found himself landing back on Spectra's bed with Spectra climbing right on top of him. "Shall we continue where we left off," she whispered while licking his ear, not really asking him. Danny tried to refuse, wanted to refuse, but found that he couldn't speak or even move! All he could do was watch in horror as Spectra tongue traced across his face on its way to his mouth, and just as she was about to kiss him...

"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!" the cry of the rooster broke Danny out of his meditation causing him to collapse on the floor!

"Oh thank you thank you! I swear I'll never eat chicken again!" Danny promised the bird welcoming the morning. "Well except maybe when I get hungry and there's nothing else to eat. And maybe when I'm staying at someone's home and my host is serving chicken, don't want to be rude after all." Danny rethinking his oath since chicken is one of his favorites. After finishing a long list of exceptions to his no eating chicken vow, Danny thought back to what happened when he was visualizing Spectra. He cannot say for certain why he reacted differently with her than the others, but one thing he did realize is that if Spectra tries to kisses him again, especially in that outfit, he might not be able to resist her! "I still have a long way to go," Danny sighed sadly. Still tired due to the fact that he didn't get much sleep, Danny still forced himself up. After all Spectra did promise him to share more of her secrets with him today. He can only hope he can keep his wits about himself while in her presents.

Danny wasn't the only one feeling groggy this morning. Spectra awoke feeling terrible, and looking her age. After feasting on the misery of her servants that came in to tend to her, she started feeling a little better. Spectra then walked over to her potion cabinet and searching the bottles until she found what she was looking for. "Love Potion," she whispered picking up the tiny vial. She really didn't want to resort to this, especially since love potions have been known to be unpredictable sometimes resulting in undesirable effects. Still with the master breathing down her neck, this might be the best option for getting Danny a.k.a. the Grey Ghost to become her devoted pet.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM**

Spectra made her way to the kitchen where her servants were drearily making breakfast. "Which one is for Grey Ghost?" she asked. The servants pointed to platter on the dining cart with a special pretty box on it that she had Veil prepare. Spectra took out her vial of love potion and poured it on the food. "That should do it. Within a few hours, he won't be able to keep his hands off of me!" Spectra grinned. "Hurry and get this to his room and be careful with that box! It's very valuable." she ordered. The servants lazily performed their tasks not really caring one way or the other.

Later at Danny's room, the servants delivered his breakfast and package as ordered. "Wow do you deliver food to everyone?" Danny asked.

"What does it matter," the servant groaned as she pushed the cart into his room. "Oh and this is a gift from her ladyship with love," the servant said with a forced smile.

"Right," Danny said almost forgetting the mind set of everyone here; except for Spectra, Bertrand, Valerie, and himself. Something that he's going to have to look into at some point. Lifting the lid, he found a gourmet of eggs, bacon, ham, sausages, warm freshly cooked bread, and hot tea. "I could really get use to this," Danny said enjoying his food. "Too bad I have to bring this place down!" After breakfast, Danny got dressed in his full Grey Ghost gear and hurried down to the courtyard where he found Spectra and Valerie waiting in front of a carriage. "Am I late?" Danny asked innocently.

"No, you're right on time Grey Ghost," Spectra smiled opening the door to the carriage and gesturing him to enter. As Danny entered, he pulled a little something out of his pouch and carefully and stealthfully placed it in center of the roof of the carriage. After Spectra got in, the servants proceeded to close all the blinds, most likely to keep the location to where they are going a secret. "Isn't your bodyguard not accompanying us?" Danny asked seeing as how Valerie isn't joining them.

"Not this time," Spectra answered. "Call this quality us time," Spectra winked mischievously revealing her intentions. Danny nodded but felt terribly uncomfortable about this situation. As the carriage started moving, Danny immediately noticed something strange, it felt as if they were going in a straight line! Danny knows for a fact that the roads around here are winding so not to feel any motion would indicate that she's using either a transport spell and just having the horseman drive in a straight line between gates, or disorientation spell, so that he can't even tell what's up or down. Luckily he was already prepared for the latter as he glanced up at the device he planted on the roof, a 'Pendulum Compass' he believes Valerie called it. Even though he can't feel any movement, it can still tell him if they are moving left or right, and sure enough it began swaying indicating turns. Now all he needed to do is keep an eye on where it's indicating in order to paint a mental map so that he can find this place later. The only problem is that he needs to distracting Spectra so she doesn't notice the device.

"I must say you're looking rather attractive mistress. A new dress?" Danny said complimenting her outfit.

"Oh this old thing," Spectra scoffed. "Do you really like it?" she asked eagerly crossing her legs so he can see up her dress.

"It suits you," he huffed nervously. Judging by his reaction, she could say that the love potion is taking effect. "Not as good as that one dress you had the other night," he said smoothly causing Spectra to blush.

"You know I was pretty upset that you ditched me," Spectra scolded but not sounding angry or even annoyed.

"I believe you ditched me," Danny corrected her. "I would've stayed, but I didn't want the guards to gossip."

Spectra laughed at that notion. Of course she knows that the guards don't gossip thanks to the spell she has over them, but it's best that he doesn't know about that just yet. A couple of hours later the carriage stopped. "Ah we're here!" she told him as the doors opened.

"Welcome Miss Spectra," Bertrand greeted. Bowing respectfully until he noticed Grey Ghost. "Why did you bring him here!?"

"Bertrand manners," Spectra scolded. "I just wanted to show him our operation," Spectra winked. Bertrand nodded in understanding. She was only going to show him the official operation, not the real one.

Danny stepped out in what looked like a large quarry, and deep in the gorge he witness several workers looking as lifeless as the servants in her mansion working in what he assumes is what she refers to as the mine. "So is this your big secret?" Danny asked.

"Just one of them my dear Grey Ghost," Spectra teased, snapping her fingers. A miner rushed over to her side and handed her a sample of the ore that they're mining. "Do you know what this is?" Spectra asked. Danny took the ore and examined it carefully, even going so far as to lick it.

"It's a common sediment with a mixture of limestone, volcanic ash, and a hint gold." Danny analyzed.

"You never cease to amaze me," Spectra complimented.

"But why would you bothering mining this? I can tell at a glance there's not enough gold in this whole quarry to pay for this operation. Making it a waste to mine at all." Danny noted. Spectra smiled as she waved her hand over the ore. Danny's eyes widen in amazement as the ore started glowing with such intensity. He may not be a real magic user, but even he could sense the seer power coming from the stone he was holding.

"The gold is just an excuse to get people to mine here. My real objective is the volcanic ash." Spectra said cryptically. Danny curiosity peak as he waited for her to continue. "You see the source of magic comes from the earth itself, and the greatest concentration of magic can be found in volcanoes?"

"And the ash in this place are rich in magic?" Danny getting a better picture of what's going on now. Wizards from all over the world would pay top coin to get hand full of this stuff.

"One of the highest grades ever found since the time of the Wizard King," Spectra bragged. "Not only can it be used for magic potions and spells, but it can also be used to craft powerful magical talismans."

"Which is why the DALV group is paying you a fortune for it," Danny figured.

"Among other things," Bertrand chuckled.

"Other things?" Danny wondered.

"Bertrand!" Spectra as she cast a spell gagging his mouth. "Check on the crates and make sure they are ready for transport!" she ordered. Bertrand nodded fearfully before running off.

"What was that all about?" Danny asked.

"Oh just normal business you know. Nothing to do with us." Spectra brushed off. "Now come, I have something else I want to show you." Spectra led him to a isolated area and conjured up a rather fancy cabin. "We have a few hours to spend before I have to get back to work," she whispered seductively into his ear.

"Well, I, we shouldn't do this here!" Danny gulped, sweating like a pig. Spectra stared at him disappointingly, but at the same time confused.

'How can he still resist?' Spectra wondered to herself. By now the love potion should be taking full effect, making his lust dominate his common sense. If anything he should have already tried to force himself on her during the carriage ride here. But before she could do or say anything else. They heard semi-loud screaming coming from behind them! Quickly hurrying back, they saw several people walking out of the mine at a brisk pace! "What is going on here? Who told you, you can leave?" Spectra demanded.

"Monster, there's a monster in the mine," the miner said in the usual disinterested tone. They both turned their attention to the mine to see a large animal resembling a dog the size of elephant bursting out of the mine, clawing and chewing the miners who were steadily trying to get away.

"A DEMON DOG!" Spectra screamed. "He'll ruin everything!"

Danny immediately jumped into action, not so much for Spectra's interest, but rather for the lives of those miners. Luckily for him, Spectra had earlier ordered Valerie to restock his supplies, which was in that pretty present that came with his breakfast. Now armed to the teeth, Danny threw some knives at the beast in order to get its attention, unfortunately it worked. The beast angrily growled at the Grey Ghost, charging straight at him. Again Danny's right arm started twitching wanting to draw out Striker and slice the beast with one slash, and again Danny had to suppress the urge. Instead he opted to toss his bolas, binding the Demon Dog's legs!

"Yay, you did it," the miners sighed. But their celebration (or lack there of) was premature as the Demon Dog broke out of his bindings and got back up. "Oh no we're doomed," the miners yawned.

The beast growled angrily at Grey Ghost, only this time it kept its distance pacing around him. Watching him, wait for him to make the first move! "You're learning," Grey Ghost said with amazement to the beast. "So you're not just some wild animal are you," Grey Ghost observed while pulling something out of his pouch. "Come on beast show me what you've got!" Danny challenged. The Demon Dog snarled angrily and pounced at Danny. Anticipating this, Danny quickly extended his arm, sending it right into the creature's mouth! Everyone gasped in shock (or watched with indifference) as Grey Ghost struggled to keep the monster from biting his arm off! Then inexplicitly; the Demon Dog backed off, and transformed into an tiny obedient puppy. "Don't worry, I don't think he'll attack us again," Grey Ghost informed the public as the puppy happily ran around him.

"That was amazing!" Spectra said running up to him. "I guess this must be the monster's true form," she stated looking at the little puppy.

"But where did this thing come from?" Danny asked.

"Like I said, the ash in the cave is rich in magic, this creature must have drank some water with the ash from a spring or something giving it the power of transformation." Spectra explained. "By the way, what did you do to stop it?" Spectra asked, clearly impressed by his actions.

"Oh I just fed him some bacon," Grey Ghost answered tossing some bacon into the puppy's hungry mouth.

"Where did you get those?" Spectra asked fearful of his answer.

"From breakfast of course. In my line of work, you never know when you next meal is coming so you always ration what you have when you have it." Grey Ghost explained.

Spectra couldn't believe it! Due to the fact that the love potion tastes terrible she poured it on the one thing she was sure he'd eat not matter how bad it tastes, the bacon! This explains why he's not drooling all over her, not like how the dog is drooling over him now. Apparently the love potion has made the Demon Dog devoted to the Grey Ghost. Then again this can work to her advantage. If she can secure Danny's a.k.a. Grey Ghost's loyalty, then she can also indirectly have this Demon Dog's loyalty as well. "Oh are you a little precious," she squealed reaching out to pet him. The Puppy however snapped at her almost biting her hand. "Adorable," Spectra sneered checking her hand to make sure it was still perfect. "Are you going to keep him?"

The puppy smiled hopefully barking at Danny. "No I don't think that's a good idea," Danny finally said causing the puppy to whimper and sag its head.

"Why not?" Spectra asked while the puppy stared at him with sad puppy dog eyes.

"I well, it's just that," Danny trying but failing to resist the puppy's big round tear filled eyes. That's when Danny noticed that the little puppy had a collar with a tag on it. "What is this?" Danny wondered taking a closer look at the collar reading the inscription. "Cujo, is that your name?" Danny asked the puppy. The puppy barked enthusiastically licking him in the mask.

"Aw he likes you," Spectra teased.

"Care to explain this?" Danny demanded showing her the tag.

"Explain what?" Spectra asked pretending not to know what he's talking about.

"This is the Axion symbol! One of the secret markers that the Hunters use!" Danny explained. "This means that Cujo here is one of their guard dogs, and I for one know that guard dogs never stray far from their posts! So my question is, what is he guarding, and what are you really after?" he accused.

Spectra debated with her self whether or not to tell him the truth. As much as she would have like to have kept it a secret; there wasn't much point seeing as how he's almost figured it out himself. "You've heard of the vaults?" She asked Danny.

"Of course, it's where the Hunters keeps powerful talismans they've acquired from wizards that they've hunted locked up. Rumor has it that's also where the Relics are hidden." Danny said leaving out the bit about how they are mainly filled with fake decoys just in case anyone happens to stumble upon them. "You don't mean..."

"Yes! Just by chance, I discovered a vault hidden here in my lands! All those precious magical artifacts ripe for the taking! Can you just imagine how much people will pay for them!" Spectra said excitedly before regaining her composure. "Of course I just can't walk in the main entrance, so"

"So you're trying to tunnel in through the back, using this mine as a cover!" Danny figured. "Don't you think the Hunter's guild will notice something like that?"

"Of course I have! Why do you think Bullet is here himself!" Spectra pointed out.

"So you need me to guard your precious mine until you manage to break into the vault and steal the artifacts." Danny smiled.

"Will that be a problem?" Spectra asked.

"As I told you, I don't wish to get involved with this private war between you wizard and the Hunters." Danny said sternly. "But if the pay is right, I could tempted to offer my services," Danny hinted.

"Such as?" Spectra asked.

"A larger cut for starters, with benefits." Danny suggested looking down at Cujo who was still whining and still begging with his sad puppy dog eyes. "Especially now that I have a new mouth to feed." Cujo started barking happily after hearing that.

"I'm sure we can work something out," Spectra promised.

Meanwhile about a mile away, lone figure was observing the mines through a telescope. Watching the conversation going on between the Grey Ghost and Spectra. While it's impossible to hear what they are saying over the great distance, the stranger was able to read their lips. "I knew it, they're going after the vault! Perfect."


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM**

Inside the mansion's hidden room, the sorceress Spectra knelt down on one knee, conversing with the giant shadow image of her master. "How goes the mining operation?" the master's shadow asked.

"We are proceeding on schedule, we should have the first shipment of ash ready within a couple of days," Spectra reported.

"Not that, I mean the Vault! Have you breached it yet?" the master roared shaking the entire room!

"Not yet master," Spectra cowered. "But I'm certain we'll get there soon as well! 2, 3 days, a week tops!"

"Need I remind you that obtaining the artifacts in that Vault is crucial to our operations!" the master lectured.

"Of course sir, I won't disappoint you." Spectra swore.

"See that you don't!" the master warned as his shadowy figure dissipated.

* * *

Back at the quarry, Danny a.k.a. the Grey Ghost was busy 'training' his new dog. "Okay sit," Danny commanded. Cujo immediately gone into a sitting position. "Roll over," Danny said with Cujo complying. "Good boy," Danny complimented scratching the puppy head. It has been 2 days since he first came to the mines, and he's been stuck here ever since! Not by choice mind you, but every time he tried to leave the quarry, Cujo would beg him to stay using his sad puppy dog eyes routine; and when that didn't work, Cujo just went full on monster insisting in a threatening manner for him not to leave. So Spectra reluctantly allowed Danny to stay in the cabin that she conjured up earlier. While it felt strange being held hostage by a dog, it still felt good to get away from the mansion and Spectra for awhile. Suddenly Cujo started growling at something approaching them. Danny turned to the direction Cujo was growling at and spotted Spectra and Valerie heading towards them. Strangest thing is that Spectra looked a bit older and more wrinkly than he remembered. Not at all like the hot woman that's been haunting his dreams.

"Aw a boy and his dog, that is so adorable!" Spectra squealed reaching down attempting to pet the dog. Cujo however, seems to take offense to her presence and transforms into his monster form giving her the 'touch me and I'll bite you' growl. This gave Danny a sense of relief that he won't have to worry about Spectra trying to get into his pants, not while this dog is around. "And yet it shouldn't be this freaky," Spectra snipped while backing away from the dog.

"I must say, it's pretty impressive how you trained him so quicky," Valerie complimented.

"He's a guard dog, so he's already have been trained." Danny explained showing the dog tag. Valerie got closer to examine the tag, when Cujo snarling at the girl. Apparently he didn't like Valerie either. Valerie however stood her ground while wiping the slobber off her face.

"Now I'm going to pretend I didn't hear what I know I clearly heard! But if you want to play alpha dog with me, then you better be ready to lose a few teeth!" Valerie declared cracking her knuckles. Whether it was intimidated by Valerie's demeanor or he recognized her as a Hunter, Cujo reverted back to his puppy form and ran behind Danny.

"Don't worry pal, she's not so bad once you get to know her," Danny teased. Cujo looked up at Danny curiously. "Yeah you're right, she's much more terrifying!" he joked. Taking it as a complement, Valerie started laughing as well.

Spectra sneered for a bit at this interaction. Veil and Grey Ghost bonding was bad enough, but having this guard dog around could jeopardize her whole plans. It's best just to get rid of it as soon as possible. "Are you sure you can't take your new pet back to the mansion?" she suggested. Cujo as if almost understanding her, barked in protest pointing in the direction of the mine. "What's wrong with him?" she wondered.

"He's a guard dog, and like all guard dogs they never stray far from their posts. In fact it's a wonder he even left the Vault in the first place." Danny explained.

"Or stayed out for this long," Valerie added.

"The Vault hm," Spectra could already see how this dog could work to her benefit. "Say if this dog is from the Vault then wouldn't he know of a way back there?"

"I suppose so," Danny said with uncertainty. Again as if understanding what they are saying, Cujo happily barked as he ran back into the mine, gesturing them to follow him. "I guess he wants us to follow him," Danny figured. Danny along with Spectra, Bertrand, Valerie, and a few of the mindless minions followed the little dog as he led them down a small narrow crevice. Before long Cujo concrete wall with a small crack just big enough for a tiny animal. "So this is how the little guy slipped out," Danny commented.

"Yes and thanks to him, we're now weeks ahead of schedule," Spectra cheered. "Bertrand!" she bellowed. Bertrand transformed into a giant mole and started digging at the wall. About an hour later, he managed to make a large enough entryway for everyone. Once inside, Danny could only marvel at the sight of the Vault. Not only was it huge, it had an impressive collection of artifacts, or rather the boxes that the artifacts were locked in. "Alright, take as much as you can!" Spectra ordered. Cujo realizing their intent, immediately transformed into his monster form in order to deter them. Bertrand was about to transform into one of his beasts as well, but Spectra stopped him. She instead blew some dust at Cujo's face causing the big dog to fall asleep. "Now that he's been taken care of, let's get back to work!" she ordered.

"STOP!" Danny cried causing everyone to halt. Even though he knows that most of these are fakes, he knew that he couldn't allow any of the artifacts to leave the Vault.

"I knew it, I knew he's plotting against us!" Bertrand accused.

"What is the meaning of this Grey Ghost?" Spectra demanded.

Danny gulped not knowing what to say, but then Valerie stepped forth and reached down to the floor. "You're luck he did stop you, otherwise you would have tripped this trap," Valerie scolded as she pulled up a thin trip wire. "I mean seriously, this is one of the Hunter's most secure locations. Did it not occur to any of you that there will be any traps or hidden alarms here!" She lectured as she disarmed the trap.

"I see, forgive me. I shouldn't have doubted you." Spectra apologized to Danny.

"I'm just glad to be of service my lady," Danny responded. Danny gazed puzzlingly at Valerie. While he's glad that she bailed him out again; he did find it strange that she, knowing how much she hates magical items and prefers to keep them buried forever, didn't trip the alarm herself. Even stranger she was disarming the trap she just found, further confusing him about her intentions.

"So how long will it take to disarm all the traps" Spectra asked.

"Not long," Valerie promised as she scouted vault for more traps. After she gave the all clear signal, Spectra's minions began breaking the safes and carrying off the artifacts.

It was at this point that Cujo started to regain consciousness, but he was still to weak to move. Seeing that he failed in his duty, he began whimpering and crying at Danny. Almost like begging him to stop them from stealing the artifacts. Danny then glanced at Valerie, hoping to see a glimmer of the Hunter he once knew, but she didn't seem interested in stopping this theft at all. Danny began debating with himself on this situation; on one hand, this is wrong and he needs to stop them, on the other hand, he trusts Valerie so there must be a reason she's allowing this to happen! Now the question is what to do? Should he do his duty and help Spectra steal the artifacts which might include a Relic? Or should he follow his honor and stop her? Finally he decided to follow his honor! All he needed to do was to accidentally on purpose trip the one of the alarm he found that Valerie missed. As he inched his way to the alarm, Cujo looked upon him with a proud expression, nodding in approval as he stepped on the hidden button. Soon the sounds of sirens echoed around the Vault.

"Quickly, we must get out of here! Grab as much as you can!" Spectra ordered. Bertrand transformed into a flying octopus grabbing eight boxes, while her minions, moving at their usual pace, began panicking, grabbing whatever box they could as they made their way to the opening.

"Halt right there!" the guards ordered as they came rushing in with about half-dozen dogs. Naturally Danny was about to betray Spectra and turn her and her minions over to the Hunters, but that's when he noticed that Valerie was fighting the guards! Now Valerie is one of the best fighter that he knows of, but the Vault guards are no joke, and they had them outnumbered 10 to 2. "Surrender!" the guards ordered as they surrounded Danny. Danny was about to surrender when he saw that one of the guards was about to stab Valerie from behind!

"LOOK OUT!" Danny screamed throwing one of his smoke bombs at the guardsman. Stopping his attack and giving Valerie the opening she needed to kick the guard in the stomach. While his actions saved Valerie, it condemned him in the eyes of the guards, and soon they began assaulting him. Cujo seeing him in trouble, ignored his duty as a guard dog and transformed into his monster form and rush to Danny's aid. The guards immediately used their cables and net launcher to restrain and subdue the giant beast. Against his better judgement, Danny drew Striker out. This is the first time he's ever used the sword on non-magical beings, but he wanted to end this fight as quickly as possible with minimal casualties. Activating the sword's heater, the blade glowed with fierce intensity. Then with one swing, Danny sliced all the swords of the guardsmen nearest to him in half! "Alright you all stand down or else!" he threatened pointing his sword at them. The guards simply discarded their broken swords and pulled out their daggers. "Yeah really should have though this through," Danny cursed himself as the guards renewed their attacks. Only now they know to dodge Strike rather than block it.

"Wow I always wondered how powerful that sword is. No wonder he never lets it leave his side." Spectra commented after seeing it in action. As much as she would love to keep the Grey Ghost and his 'sword' around, she knew that it's best to just cut her loses. "Thanks for covering my escape darling!" Spectra yelled to Danny. "But I'm afraid that I must be going. If you survive this please come and see me." She blew him a kiss before casting a spell that caused the roof of the cavern to collapse down blocking the passage they came in.

"That figures!" Danny retorted, but as he let his guard down, the guardsmen began tackling him to the ground. Valerie while still fighting soon ended up in the same predicament only she ended up getting tied down by bolas.

* * *

Danny sat quietly in his cell, his hands and feet chained and shackled, his new dog Cujo, leashed and muzzled, sitting next to him, along with Valerie who was sitting across from him glaring at his with intense annoyance; he couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu of when he was her prisoner back when he was Danny Paladin. The big difference is that this time she's also a prisoner as well! "This is a another fine mess you've gotten me into!" Valerie complained after failing to pick the lock on her shackles. Apparently there have been some improvements made in the locking mechanisms.

"Hey!" Danny objected. Both Valerie and Cujo waited to hear his excuse. "Okay maybe this is a little, tiny, minuscule, a bit my fault." Danny admitted not being able to come up with a good argument. After all it is because of him that Cujo led them to the Vault and he did trip the alarm. "But what about you?" Danny asked Valerie. "Why are you helping Spectra raid the Vault?"

"Just the means to an end," Valerie said quietly.

"What does that mean?" Danny getting irritated by all this.

"It means that this was my best chance to get into the DALV group!" Valerie said as she drew D-A-l-V on a piece of parchment.

"Why?" Danny asked.

"Because I believe I found our prey," Valerie said holding up the parchment next to the mirror in the cell. Danny froze from shock seeing V-l-A-D in the mirror. "This is the reason we couldn't find a trace of him. Unlike most wizards who try to set up their own kingdom after obtaining a Relic, he was smart enough to go underground. Building his own criminal empire without anyone noticing."

"That's why you kept taking jobs from the syndicates. You were trying to gain enough of a rep so that he'd hire you!" Danny realized. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have abandoned you if you'd had just explained it to me!"

"Would you really stain your honor to do something so disreputable even if it was for our vow against Vlad Masters?" Valerie asked him. "As your mother said, 'doing the wrong things for the right reasons is still wrong'. I couldn't risk you blowing my chance because of your chivalry."

"But just as you always say, 'sometimes we must do what we must for the greater good' and I believe that this is one of those times." Danny said with determination. True this goes against everything he's been taught, but the day he left Amity Park, he was prepared to see this all the way through no matter the outcome. "Why didn't you just trusted me?"

"Yes you should have trusted us as well, care to explain yourself Miss Grey?" Bullet asked her as he entered the cell. "I mean seriously, going undercover is no big deal, but aiding them to raid one of the Vaults! That's just crazy or stupid or both."

"I've got nothing to say to you," Valerie snuffed.

"Oh really, counting up all the charges against you, you'll be lucky if we give you two the death penalty!" Bullet shot back.

"And if we're unlucky?" Danny asked out of curiosity.

"You don't want to know," Valerie and Bullet said at the same time. This of course only made him want to know.

"So what are you going to do to us?" Valerie asked.

"As much as I would love to deal with you myself, unfortunately you two have been summoned to Sanctuary!" Bullet said.

"Sanctuary? On whose authority?" Valerie asked. Danny gulped by this revelation. True, he's never been to Sanctuary nor does he fully understand their politics, but to be summoned to the very center of Hunter's operations sounds like a great honor, or terrifying depending on what they plan to do to him.

"By Director Technus himself," Bullet informed them. This caused all three prisoners to gasped in shock!


End file.
